Outpatient SARS–CoV-2 treatment with antivirals or monoclonal antibodies may lower the odds of severe COVID-19 outcomes vs no outpatient treatment in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease, according to a report by Qian et al in The Lancet Rheumatology. Of 704 patients from Mass General Brigham Integrated Health Care System, over 60% received outpatient treatment with either nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, monoclonal antibodies, molnupiravir, remdesivir, or combination treatment. In the group that received outpatient treatment, 2.1% of patients were either hospitalized or died, compared with 17.6% of patients who did not receive outpatient treatment. The proportion of patients who received outpatient treatment who had confirmed COVID-19 rebound was at least 7.9%—“a conservative estimate due to the stringent definition we used that required documentation,” the authors noted. They concluded, “These findings should encourage outpatient SARS–CoV-2 treatment among patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease.”
May 25, 2023